so we are learning the pred. v imperfect

but i don't know when to use which i sort of have an idea like habitual inturrupting etcetc but i get them all wrong

El lunes pasado yo _tuvé__ una discusión con un compañero de clase.
La discusión __comenzaba_ mientras el profesor _discutió__una clase sobre deportes.
Mi compañero siempre _decía__ durante la clase.
De modo que nos __dabamos__ que discutiéramos afuera.

those are the words i put but tehy are all wrong. and those are the verbs in the word bank.... please help me!

Actually, I always loved teaching the Preterite vs. the Imperfect. The Imperfect (the easiest tense there is in Spanish) "paints" the background in a story. It focuses on the "middle" of something. We know it had a beginning but we don't focus on that and we never know if it ends. The English meanings are: was/were + -ing, used to + infinitive or simply -ed. yo estudiaba = I was studying, I used to study, I studied. There are 3 translations usually for a verb. In one word, this tense is for "description." ~ ~ ~ (wavy lines representing it)

The purpose of the Preterit (perhaps the most difficult tense to form in Spanish) is for "action." / / / (these lines represent something with a beginning, a middle and an END. We focus on it's being over and done with. The English meanings are 2: did or -ed. yo estudié = I studiED, I DID study.

Do NOT use a translation site. It teaches you nothing and can NOT capture the "nuances" of a language. Besides it usually translates literally (word for word) and turns out to be ridiculous!

Now, the Imperfect only has 3 irregular verbs (ser, ir, ver) and only has 2 sets of endings = ía or -aba. The Preterit has 2 sets of endings for regular verbs = é, as, o, amos, aron OR í, iste, ió, imos, -ieron. However many stems are different in 3rd-person singular and plural (o--->u, e--->i, etc.)

As for your answers, a QUICK answer is of no use, unless you UNDERSTAND what you are doing! Now, for your answers:

yo tuve (no accent, unstressed ending) / comenzó (it DID begin) / discutía (WAS discussING) = why this verb? this doesn't make sense = was discussing a class about sports??? / NOT decir (was saying) but hablar (was talking) = hablaba / I can not do the last sentence for you without knowing EXACTLY what you saw. Were the verbs provided for you that you were to use, or did you have to supply them based upon the MEANING of what you saw? Please type exactly what the instructions were!

Sra

To correctly conjugate the verbs in the exercise, you need to understand the difference between the preterite tense (pretérito) and the imperfect tense (imperfecto).

The preterite tense is used to indicate completed actions or events that happened once in the past. On the other hand, the imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions and events in the past.

Let's break down the sentences and conjugate the verbs correctly:

1. El lunes pasado yo _tuve_ una discusión con un compañero de clase.
- In this sentence, you correctly used the preterite tense. "Tuve" is the correct conjugation of the verb "tener" (to have) in the preterite tense, which indicates a specific event that happened once in the past.

2. La discusión _comenzaba_ mientras el profesor _discutió_ una clase sobre deportes.
- In this sentence, you need to use the imperfect tense to describe ongoing actions or events in the past.
- "Comenzaba" is the correct conjugation of the verb "comenzar" (to start) in the imperfect tense, indicating that the discussion was ongoing in the past.
- However, "discutió" should be conjugated in the imperfect tense as well. The correct form is "discutía" since the verb "discutir" (to discuss) is describing the professor discussing a class on sports, which is an ongoing action in the past.

3. Mi compañero siempre _decía_ durante la clase.
- In this sentence, you used the imperfect tense correctly. "Decía" is the correct conjugation of the verb "decir" (to say) in the imperfect tense, indicating a repeated action in the past.

4. De modo que nos _dabamos_ que discutiéramos afuera.
- In this sentence, you need to use the imperfect tense since "dábamos" indicates an ongoing action in the past.
- However, "dábamos" should be conjugated as "dábamos" in the imperfect tense. It is the correct form of the verb "darse" (to give oneself) indicating that "we were giving ourselves" the opportunity to discuss outside.

Corrected sentences:

El lunes pasado yo _tuve_ una discusión con un compañero de clase.
La discusión _comenzaba_ mientras el profesor _discutía_ una clase sobre deportes.
Mi compañero siempre _decía_ durante la clase.
De modo que nos _dábamos_ que discutiéramos afuera.

When deciding whether to use the preterite or imperfect tense in Spanish, it's important to consider the context and the specific meaning you want to convey.

The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions that occurred at a specific point in time. It is often used for actions or events that happened once, had a clear beginning and end, or that took place in a sequence.

On the other hand, the imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions in the past. It is often used for background information, descriptions, or to set the scene.

Now let's analyze the sentences and see which tense is more appropriate for each verb:

1. El lunes pasado yo __tuvé__ una discusión con un compañero de clase.
Here, we need to use the preterite tense, so it should be "tuve," which means "I had." This action happened once and has a specific beginning and end.

2. La discusión __comenzaba__ mientras el profesor __discutió__ una clase sobre deportes.
In this sentence, we need to use the imperfect tense for both verbs. "Comenzaba" means "was beginning" and "discutió" should be "discutía," which means "was discussing." The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past.

3. Mi compañero siempre __decía__ durante la clase.
Here, using the imperfect tense is correct. "Decía" means "was saying" and implies an ongoing or habitual action.

4. De modo que nos __dabamos__ que discutiéramos afuera.
For this last sentence, we need to use the imperfect tense. However, "dabamos" should be "dábamos," which means "we used to give." The imperfect tense is appropriate here to describe a repeated action in the past.

Remember that understanding the context and the specific meaning of each verb in the sentence will help you determine whether to use the preterite or imperfect tense. Practice and exposure to different contexts will also help you become more comfortable and accurate in using these tenses.

In the first two sentences, the preterit and imperfect should be switched. In the third sentence, I am ok with the imperfect tense, but it seems that hablaba (was talking) would be better than decía (was saying).

The last line does not look like a complete sentence to me. It contains a future subjunctive of discutir. I can't figure it out.